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I know this may sound weird but..

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Inactive
Oct 3, 2011
206
7,112
Michigan
#1
I know this may sound weird but I just recently got back from a one year hiatus of not playing bass and discovered the battery is almost dead on my active bass.... so anyone with an active bass knows when a battery is low on its juices, it distorts the bass like crazy. Now this may sound crazy but I absolutely love that tone. I never knew I wanted any effect's pedal but after hearing that, i'd really love to find a pedal that could emulate that sound as close as possible.

Edit: After looking at some more videos on pedals, I think the sound my nearly dying active bass was making was more closer to an overdrive pedal? Not sure though.
 
#6
Not weird. I know when my battery is running down because I get a GREAT slightly hairy tone for a gig or two. Alembic offered to set the voltage so I could always have that sound, if I could bring them a battery for them to test (is that customer service, or what?!). I decided against modding, but it was a nice offer!
 
#8
I save dying 9 volts for this purpose. I love the sound of my pedulla with a sagging battery.

My single pickup rapture kinda already has the hairy tone to it. Real dirty and gnarly already. The voltage sagging sound is more square wave like. I have used it as the tone on a recording once, and it was epic.
 
#10
yeah... intriguing...

the battery in my bass last a looooooong time.
but recently it started dying, and yeah, sounded really woolly for a few hours, then blah.
for like the first hour or so of depletion, it was like adding a simple drive circuit to the chain.

so yeah, I'd recommend a drive effect with a voltage limiter (sag circuit) too.
I'm gonna do the same.
 
#12
There's a Danelectro Dan Electrode power supply that has a continuously adjustable output from 9v to 3v. If you switch out the boss-style plug on it with a male 9v battery-style plug you could replace your battery with it and dial in the perfect sag.

Depending on the bass, you might have to cut a small hole in the battery door. But that's no big deal.

I think the adapter is around $20.
 

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